Over $4M Worth of Narcotics Seized from Bronx Pizzeria; Three Arrested

Operation involving DEA, NYPD, and New York State Police yields seizure of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and other substances from Mexzzarella Pizzeria; Gaudencio Rosendo Perez, Zulema Cardenas Espinoza and Alexander Samboy charged with operating major drug ring.

• The Drug Enforcement Administration, in collaboration with the New York Police Department and the New York State Police, seized over 100 pounds of narcotics including cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and oxycodone with an estimated street value of over $4M from a Bronx Pizzeria named Mexzzarella Pizzeria.
• Gaudencio Rosendo Perez, Zulema Cardenas Espinoza, and Alexander Samboy were charged with operating as a major trafficker and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees, implying they were using Mexzzarella Pizzeria as a front for a drug ring.
• A significant portion of the illicit substances, including 42 kilograms of suspected cocaine, a kilogram of heroin/fentanyl, and 1,000 envelopes containing suspected oxycodone and fentanyl, was found in the pizzeria’s basement. Additionally, 100 vials of suspected crack cocaine were found on the ground floor, close to the pizza counter.
• Due to its substantial quantity, the confiscated stash of cocaine alone was deemed capable of supplying drug networks across the northeastern US. Local law enforcement warned about the dangerous practice of lacing cocaine with fentanyl - a potent synthetic opioid - which is contributing to a rising number of drug overdoses and deaths.
• The three arraigned suspects had apparently kept vials of crack cocaine near the pizza counter for easy sales and distribution. Samboy was also arrested after a traffic stop where police found five kilos of cocaine in his vehicle.

3 Articles

Washington Examiner The Messenger New York Post